In recent years, department members have held office in the Conference on Christianity and Literature (on both regional and national levels), the Conference of College Teachers of English, the Texas Association of Deans of Liberal Arts and Sciences, and the South-Central Renaissance Conference. In addition, they have published numerous articles, book reviews, and short stories; presented original papers, short stories, poems, and lectures; and edited Shadow and Light: Literature and the Life of Faith, an anthology used in colleges and universities nationwide.

Besides producing scholarly and creative writing, our professors have led student groups in study abroad; spoken at ACU Bible Lectureship and the Christian Scholars Conference; served as consultants and guest lecturers at other universities; attended summer seminars sponsored by the National Endowment for the Humanities and other organizations; edited major reports for the university; collaborated on books with colleagues from other departments; and developed computer hypertext.

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Our colleague Dr. Jack Welch, professor of English, died of heart failure on July 28, 1996, in St. Petersburg, Russia, where he was completing eight weeks of mission work. He taught fiction writing, world literature, business and professional writing, and other courses and was the author of four books. He was media editor and feature writer for The Christian Chronicle and served as a deacon for the Hillcrest Church of Christ, in Abilene. We miss his sweet spirit, professionalism, generosity to students and colleagues, and Christian example. A scholarship fund has been established as a memorial.